He’s noticed that snow often arrives later in the season. And when it does come, it tends to melt quickly. This hurts the industry. Although many ski areas can make their own snow, nothing brings people out like the real thing.

Schlitz: “If they’re fair weather skiers and they don’t see the snow in their backyards, they’re just not going to go.”

In recent low-snowfall years, ski visits in Wisconsin have dropped by more than a third. Such a big decline in visitors hurts local economies, and has caused some ski areas and services to struggle to stay open.

Schlitz: “There’s a fine line between being successful and losing it all in this industry.”

Staying on the right side of that line is especially hard when the climate is shifting.